Excuse me, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and all you other social-media sites. Can I have a moment of your time?
First of all let me say: It’s not you; it’s me. You have some wonderful qualities, and I generally enjoy hanging with you now and again. I learn things. I stay in touch with friends. I get a few laughs, a few tugs on the heartstrings.
But you also give me photos of food-crammed plates or a list of what’s on the menu at home. I can’t figure out why. And I’m not sure if I’m supposed to clap when someone is at the movies. I “friend” or “follow” folks who post or tweet things that make me mad, and I get mad easily enough on my own.
Shawn RyanI’m as guilty as anyone, honestly. Looking back over various posts I’ve made to Facebook, Twitter, et al., I’m embarrassed. My opinions spew like a crazed water hose. Narcissism is rampant.
I promise to do better.
But – and let me say this in the nicest way possible – I don’t need to know what people are eating morning, noon and night. I don’t need to keep tabs on every place folks go. It feels clingy, needy and kind of smothering.
Constant selfies aren’t necessary. Quantum physics say each moment of your life exists even if you don’t post visual proof to Instagram. And people are talking behind your back about what seems to be a desperate need for attention. Seriously. I’ve heard them.
These days, the majority of the world seems to believe that celebrity – or attention of any kind – equates to worth. People on TV, in the movies or in music are more important than everyday Americans, right? They must be; people pay attention to them.
Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter give us a chance to elevate ourselves to a place where the world – or at least our tiny piece of it – is a reality TV show featuring us as the star, where we’re noticed and valued. We seem to feel that, as individuals, we don’t have a huge effect on the world.
Perhaps it’s true, metaphysically speaking, that the movement of a butterfly’s wing on the opposite side of the globe creates a worldwide ripple. Perhaps Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat increase that possibility. But the sheer volume of social media may cause those ripples to bounce and rebound and get diluted, lessening their impact.
So, getting back to my original message with Facebook, Instagram, etc. – like I said: It’s not you; it’s me. You have wonderful qualities, and we have fun together. But you’re drowning me, and it’s annoying.
I think we should slow things down.
Contact Shawn Ryan at mshawnryan@gmail.com.